North Korean authorities have imposed a confinement in the border city of Kaesong after discovering what they called the first suspected case of the country's new coronavirus, state media reported Sunday.
Leader Kim Jong Un called an emergency meeting of the politburo on Saturday to implement a "maximum emergency system and issue a first-class alert" to contain the virus, the official KCNA news agency said.
If confirmed, it would be the first officially recognized COVID-19 case in the North, where the medical infrastructure is considered woefully inadequate to deal with any epidemic.
KCNA said a deserter who had gone south three years ago returned on July 19 after "illegally crossing" the heavily fortified border that divides the countries.
But there have been no reports in the south of anyone leaving through what is one of the safest borders in the world, replete with minefields and guard posts.
Pyongyang had previously insisted that not a single case of the coronavirus had been seen in the North even though the disease had swept the world, and the country's borders remained closed.
The patient was found in Kaesong City, which borders the south, and "was placed under strict quarantine," as would anyone who has been in close contact, state media said.
It was a "dangerous situation ... that can lead to a deadly and destructive disaster," the media outlet added.
Kim was quoted as saying "the vicious virus could be said to have entered the country," and officials on Friday took the "preventive measure to completely block Kaesong city."
The nuclear-armed North closed its borders in late January when the virus spread in neighboring China and imposed severe restrictions that isolated thousands of people, but analysts say the North is unlikely to have avoided contagion.
South Korea currently registers between 40 and 60 cases per day.
Earlier this month, Kim warned against any "hasty" relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures, indicating that the country will keep its borders closed for the foreseeable future.
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